Afghan Refugee Coaches Student to Youth Olympics in Kenya

When Omidullah Alizadah watched Afghanistan's first Olympic medalist compete in 2012, he made himself a promise: he'd reach the Olympics too. Fourteen years later, the 28-year-old martial artist is making that dream come true, just not the way he imagined.

Alizadah started training in combat sports at eight years old, inspired by his father's kung fu and karate background. Despite his talent in taekwondo, he faced discrimination as a member of Afghanistan's Hazara minority and couldn't break into the national team.

Around 2015, he discovered savate, a French combat sport combining boxing and kicking. This time, he made Afghanistan's national team and brought home championships, hoping the sport would join the Olympics at Paris 2024.

Then the threats started. After repeated attacks that left him with serious injuries, Alizadah fled Afghanistan in 2019 and eventually landed in Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya.

Most people would have given up. Alizadah started teaching.

Working at a local primary school, he trained students from South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Burundi and Somalia in martial arts. He recently competed solo at an Asian championship in Nepal, winning three medals without the coaches, medical teams or support that other athletes had.

The Ripple Effect

One of Alizadah's students, Laurence Namukiza, just qualified for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. She'll compete in taekwondo as part of the first-ever refugee team at an Olympic event, making history twice over since Africa has never hosted the Olympics before.

Namukiza is one of six African refugee athletes heading to Dakar between October 31 and November 13. For Alizadah, watching his students succeed feels like its own kind of victory.

"They are good players," he said. "Give them energy, give them a good coach and a good place, and of course they will give good results."

Alizadah still trains for his own competitions while coaching others. His next goal is the savate world championship in France this September, where he'll face top-ranked fighters from around the world.

He knows his competitive years won't last forever. After he hangs up his gloves, he plans to launch a foundation supporting refugee athletes worldwide.

"Sport is the one tool that can bring all humans together in peaceful competition," he said. Alizadah may never stand on an Olympic podium himself, but he's already creating champions.